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Psychology Clinic



Located in Boronia, the Psychology Clinic offers counselling for school-aged children, young people and families. Some after hours appointments are available. Medicare rebates and private health insurance rebates may apply.

Individual & family counselling



Counselling or psychotherapy is offered to individuals and families to assist with a range of issues from complex family situations, traumatic life events, mental health, or simply because something is just not right. Talking through issues, developing strategies to feel better, and understanding the causes for certain problems can be of great benefit. The clinic offers;
  • Individual psychology sessions for school-aged children and young people
  • Family counselling

Counselling and psychotherapy may assist with the following types of concerns;
  • Anxiety, fears & phobias
  • Depression
  • Mental health concerns
  • Trauma, grief & loss
  • School refusal
  • Friendships, relationships & bullying
  • Puberty & sexuality
  • Body image
  • Risky or difficult behaviors
  • Drug & Alcohol use
  • Separation, divorce & step-families
  • Family conflict
  • Sibling rivalry
  • Rules & boundaries


Family & parent-adolescent mediation



Mediation is a formalised process where participants come up with written agreements about how they would like things to be in the future. Mediation is more structured than counselling or psychotherapy, and may suit families who wish to work on very specific issues, such as specific rules/boundaries. Whilst the agreements are not legally binding, family members are encouraged to sign off on the terms, and make a genuine commitment to abide by them.

The sessions run for approximately 2 hours each, and are suitable for families with older children and teenagers.
Please note: these are NOT family court mediations for the purposes of parenting agreements or other legal matters.



Animal-Assisted Therapy sessions



Where appropriate, individuals or families may choose to have a Therapy-Dog present in the sessions. The dog may simply be present in the room, or may become an integral part of the therapy. Coming to counselling can be daunting, especially for children and young people – having a dog in the room may help to break down the barriers and make clients feel more at ease. Working with a Therapy-Dog has been shown to have a number of benefits including;
  • Feeling more relaxed (reduced stress chemicals and heart rate)
  • Improvements in mood & concentration
  • Helping counselling feel more friendly, and helping people to open up
Melanie is also a qualified and experienced Professional Dog Trainer, and can assist families, children and young people to work with her Therapy-Dogs to learn new skills such as;
  • Improved communication
  • Increased patience
  • Understanding body language
  • Improved empathy
Find out more about AAT and the benefits of working with a Therapy-Dog.



Referral and appointment information



Referrals may be made directly by calling the Psychology Clinic on 9761 0973. Alternatively you may be referred via your doctor, school, relative etc.

Some after hours appointments are available, and where appropriate children or young people may have outreach appointments at their school.

Please note: To claim medicare benefits you must be referred by your doctor, and be on a mental health care plan. Please note a gap may be payable.
Find out more about medicare rebates...



AAT Group Programmes



Group programmes using Therapy-Dogs can be individually tailored for schools & other organisations according to their particular needs. Working with a Therapy-Dog has been shown to have a number of benefits for both adults and children. Lead The Way can work with schools and other organisations to develop group programmes to target a range of issues, such as;
  • Social skills
  • Anger management
  • Self Esteem
  • Managing difficult and risky behaviours
To see research on the Lead The Way programmes, read the AAT Literature Review by Naomi Adams or the AAT Research Report by Naomi Adams.

To discuss the development of a group programme for your organisation please contact us.



Training & Counsultancy



Lead The Way also offers a range of training and consultancy services for individuals and organisations wishing to learn more about Animal-Assisted Therapy, and other forms of Animal-Assisted Interventions.
  • AAT for Human-Canine Teams; Intensive Therapy-Dog handlers course [Download Brochure - PDF 2.34MB]
  • One to one training for Therapy-Dogs and their handlers
  • Seminars & consultancy
For more information please contact us.

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